The Paul Sauer 2021 red Bordeaux-style blend marks the 41st vintage of this iconic wine that is recognised as one of South Africa's finest reds. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from our vineyards in the Simonsberg ward was first made from the 1981 vintage by the estate's former winemaker, the legendary Beyers Truter, and has since gone on to garner critical acclaim from wine critics and fine wine buyers in South Africa and throughout the world.

When the first Paul Sauer was produced in 1981, the concept of red Bordeaux-style blends from South Africa was relatively new, the first wine of this kind having only been made in the Cape in 1979," says Johann Krige, grandson of Sauer and who owns and manages Kanonkop in conjunction with his brother Paul. "With the Paul Sauer, Kanonkop likes to believe we played a major role – along with the other farms making this style of wine - in heralding a new chapter in showcasing South Africa's ability to produce world-class wines of classic elegance that do justice to their description as Bordeaux-style blends.

"As Kanonkop enters the fifth decade of making Paul Sauer, we especially remember the past 15 years that have seen this wine achieving critical acclaim and demand from fine wine-buyers that has elevated it to a position where it has become recognised as South Africa's First Growth. This year's wine from the 2021 vintage caps a remarkable period for Kanonkop and for the Paul Sauer and will, therefore, go down as an exceptional vintage release."

Paul Sauer 2021 is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc made from the farm's vineyards aged an average of 31 years and planted on Kanonkop's famous soils of decomposed granite, Hutton and Clovelly.

According to cellarmaster Abrie Beeslaar, the 2021 Paul Sauer shows the kind of quality that is worthy of celebrating the wine's 41st anniversary. "Elegance, refinement and purity give the wine an irrefutable classical, Old World character, while undercurrents of power and depth – so typical of Kanonkop's terroir – harness the flavour profile into a profound red wine bearing the resounding Paul Sauer hallmark of status and presence."